As flooding continues to plague the Midwest, Air and Army National Guardsmen are still providing additional sand bag reinforcements and delivering much needed supplies. The latest effort, according to a June 20 National Guard Bureau release, was in Missouri, where the state’s governor, Matt Blunt, declared, “Our priority is to protect the lives of Missouri’s residents and their property; then we will focus on recovery efforts.” On June 19 alone, more than 5,700 Air and Army Guard members were assisting efforts in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin. (NGB report by SSgt. Jim Greenhill)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.